Jim Borsig
Daily Mississippian News Editor Logan Kirkland and NewsWatch99 Station Manager Sudu Upadhyay had an exclusive interview with the Institutions of Higher Learning’s Commissioner Jim Borsig Sunday. The following is an edited transcript. To watch the full interview, visit theDMonline.com.
Q: In the statement you put out yesterday, you said (Jones’) contract was not renewed because of financial concerns or issues at The University of Mississippi Medical Center. What were those concerns?
A: The concerns … first, let me say what the concerns weren’t. The financial condition of the medical center is sound, and there is no question of impropriety on the part of Dr. Jones or any other employee at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Healthcare is a rapidly changing field; the board of trustees has been working with Dr. Jones over the last four or five years about issues regarding business management, financial management at the medical center. The board set up a healthcare committee a few years ago, and the board’s evaluation work that has been done to address the issues of importance to the board are reflected in that statement. Some of the details would involve discussion of personnel at the University of Mississippi Medial Center, which is also inappropriate to go to that level, but it’s about continuing to make the improvements as expected by the Board of Trustees.
Q: You guys talk about how the concerns were not corrected to the satisfaction of the Board of Trustees. What kind of results were the board looking for?
A: I think that the simple answer to that is all eight university presidents work for the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Trustees expected those issues that were identified by the board to be addressed and to be fixed.
Q: What did you want to be fixed?
A: There is a level of detail that I can’t go into that has to do with the fact that we are discussing a personnel matter. I’m not trying to necessarily hide behind that, so don’t construe it that way, but the details of the work that needed to be done are laid out and articulated over the course of the last four or five years, and to the satisfaction of the board, those things have not been addressed.
Q: Were these issues bad enough to outweigh the good that he has accomplished?
A: Well, I think that the action of the board speaks for itself about that, and in the announcement that was made yesterday, it’s clear that Dr. Jones has done a number of great things for The University of Mississippi. The board’s concern about the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which its finances are 38 percent of the $3.8 billion budget that the board has, the constitutional oversight where they share a responsibility for is chief among those, and you know that there has been a lot of change in healthcare over the last four to five years in the country, and the effort to stay on top of those issues is a primary concern of the Board of Trustees and have been openly discussed with the chancellor and the leadership.
Q: In Jones’ statement, he talks about his unwillingness to adjust to the board’s desired governing structure, what does he mean by that?
A: I think you will have to ask the chancellor what he means by that. I did not say that or put that in writing.
Q: I want you to speak from your experience as a president of a university. Does it become less desirable to be a president of a university in Mississippi knowing that you can have so much success but yet still lose your job or have your contract not renewed?
A: I believe that the chancellor’s position at The University of Mississippi will be one that will attract high quality candidates from across the country.
Q: When you have these huge donors like Jim Barksdale and then Charles Overby and many people who are very public about their donations say that these are unforgivable decisions, how do you respond to that?
A: I have great respect for both Mr. Overby and Mr. Barksdale, and I understand their passion and love for the university. What I would say is that that passion and love for the university across the university community will solidify the future and the future success of the next chancellor.
Q: Is there any way this can be reversed?
A: The Board of Trustees has made the decision. It has announced that there is going to be a search for the next chancellor at The University of Mississippi.
Q: Are you aware that the faculty senate has drafted a resolution in favor of reinstating Dan Jones?
A: This is the first I’ve heard of it.
Q: If this gets passed and the Associated Student Body forms a resolution as well, this isn’t a conversation that can be solved with one statement. Wouldn’t you agree?
A: I don’t think that one statement is where we are stopping. We are talking about the future. We are talking about the search for the next chancellor. I am talking to you guys today. I will be talking to other media. There is going to be a lot more conversation about this. The passion of The University of Mississippi is one reason for its successful trajectory of the institution over a long period of time, and I know that passion is the hardest in order for the trajectory to continue in the next chancellor to be successful.
